FADED
by Talthecap
Summary: There has always been a price to pay for choices made. It is the Law...for the Uchiha brothers, this does not chnage even as they slowly fade away. no yaoi


_**Be careful little eyes what you see;**_

_**It's the 2**__**nd**__** glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings**_

He made sure not to close his eyes as the sword plunged into his best friend's neck. The spinning wheel of the sharingan in his eyes did not slow as the man before him choked on his own blood; his eyes took in everything even as their color turned a deeper shade, becoming that of the life liquid that flowed from his only friend's body. He had to see everything…the mangyeko had to be awakened! So Uchiha Itachi watched his childhood friend die, not quite understanding why the tears flowed freely from his eyes…it was what had to be done.

_**Be careful little feet where you go**_

_**It's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow**_

His eyes were now dry, not a single tear to be abandoned to the wind as he practically flew above the houses, slaying their inhabitants along with another shadowed figure. No one was a match for him after-all, the darkness in his eyes was now mingled with his best friend's blood, making him stronger. He was only doing what _had_ to be done; yes, even killing his father…his m-mother…lover. But not Sasuke; no, _never_ Sasuke. But it was as he turned to flee from the blood soaked walls around him that he heard the pitter patter of little feet running towards him…it was too late for him…but why had the tears started flowing again?

_**It's a slow fade, when you give yourself away**_

_**It's a slow fade when black and white turn to gray**_

The things Akatsuki had him do were despicable, but he had long since learnt the art of closing off any opinions and emotions to the outside world. He did not blink even as he tortured a 14 year old chuunin to near death because of the information she held…it just had to be done. He was a man on a personal mission and he would not waver from that path…no matter what he was made to do as a result.

_**And thoughts invade, choices are made**_

_**A price will be paid when you give yourself away**_

Glancing up at the sky was one of his small indulgences. It spoke of the fact that there was always something bigger going on and that in its own way reassured him. Surely his brother would have more positive influences in his life…Itachi did not want Sasuke to follow him in the path he'd chosen. He wanted more for his little brother and akatsuki was most definitely not it.

_**People never crumble in a day**_

_**It's a slow fade **_

It hit him harder than he'd expected when he eventually realized that the fierce loyalty to the Leaf that had him carrying out a massacre on his family in a heartbeat had faded along with almost every sense of morality, preference or pleasure he'd ever had. Uchiha Itachi no longer cared for the Leaf or its inhabitants. He was now more or less an empty shell that just had vague hopes for its own kin. He'd done what he had to do. The shell however was slowly fading away as well…Sasuke had to hurry up.

_**Be careful little ears what you hear**_

_**When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near**_

Uchiha Sasuke grew up hating his brother with blinding passion. His driving force was the urge to kill the man and so he filled his time with training and fury-driven progress, completely ignoring the deep hurt that had stemmed from the scathing betrayal he'd felt as a kid. So when everyone praised him, he knew he was above them all, but when a little yellow dot – too bright for his dark world – came from dead last to equal him in strength and finally surpassing him, Sasuke could not take it. He wanted to kill that little dot as much as he wanted it to accept him as a friend. So in a particularly humiliating realization, he decided to leave the village and cut off _all_ the bonds he'd created. He was better than _all_ of them…they themselves had always said so.

_**Be careful little lips what you say**_

_**For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray**_

The little yellow dot however had long since accepted Sasuke as its closest friend and would not let him go that easy. As a result, it made a promise – one of a lifetime – to the other dot in Sasuke's life; the fragile pink one. A promise that through its efforts, Sasuke would return and so time and time again, that yellow dot got beaten up all because it had made a bond that was more precious to it than anything else and also because it had made a promise…one that it would rather die for than declare empty.

_**It's a slow fade, when you give yourself away**_

_**It's a slow fade when black and white turn to gray**_

_**And thoughts invade, choices are made**_

_**A price will be paid when you give yourself away**_

Sasuke fought long and hard to slay the evil that stood before him, be it his brother or not. And as Itachi finally fell, no longer having any tears to shed – not even for the last time he'd ever see his brother for whom he had lived so long for – the sky cried, letting it's tears fall on the brothers who'd never understood that their choices will _always_ have consequences reaching far beyond what they could ever see.

_**A journey from your mind to your hands**_

_**Is shorter than you're thinking**_

Even as the oldest living Uchiha whispered a truth in Sasuke's ears, he could not believe it. Perhaps it was not _the_ truth but it was truth enough for him to loathe those he'd once been loyal to with a hatred deeper than that he'd ever felt. As the seconds ticked by, the once pure-hearted child became a killing machine by 16 years, willing to turn against even his own comrades for the ultimate goal that only he understood…it was what had to be done.

_**Be careful if you think you stand**_

_**You just might be sinking**_

The little yellow spot had grown tremendously, standing firm in its belief that Sasuke could be saved. The belief had been twisted with time though and now, it was only in death that perhaps the youngest Uchiha could be saved. That yellow dot knew it had to fight Sasuke and if death resulted for both of them, then it was alright after-all a promise _was_ a promise.

_**A price will be paid when you give yourself away**_

Standing alert, carefully watching from the distance was the masked silver-haired one who bore a sharingan as well. He'd also lived a life full of sacrifices and regrets, always believing that things _had_ to be done…they just _had _to.

_**It's a slow fade…**_

_**It's a slow fade.**_

The cycle will never end.


End file.
